Giant Leaps Forward
With the global pandemic, book fairs were no longer organised and many people were no longer able to visit public libraries. Our management was of the opinion that no more paper books should be released in 2020, simply because it was a waste of resources. To our surprise, the online turnout was extraordinary; as many researchers and students welcomed our move. And instead of 2,000 hardcopies for circulation, statistics showed that the number of views and downloads of a single publication was three to fivefold. Once more social media platforms are employed, the number will, no doubt, increase exponentially. To our amazement, the hardcopies continued to sell, which means the softcopies have had the necessary publicity. The giant leaps we took were inspired by Al Jazeera’s values and mission. Since its inception, Al Jazeera has spared no effort or resources in educating and enlightening the public.
As Abu at-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi’s words echo in my head – “The best companion, over time, is a book” - I can confidently say that Al Jazeera has truly taken the pursuit of knowledge to a higher level.
327
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter